


Contentment

by Rhube



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: M/M, Purring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 22:15:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10750890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhube/pseuds/Rhube
Summary: Anders discovers Fenris purring and decides to try to make him do it as much as possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I made this as a prompt on the kink meme a while ago and it never got picked up. I just read the lovely Purrfect, which I really enjoyed, but there was no actual purring! I decided I just needed to write the thing myself!
> 
> This is super short as I'm writing before I head out to work, but I plan to add more later.

The noise was barely audible above the general hubbub in the Hanged Man. It was only as Anders reached across Fenris to refill his water that he heard it.

The grumpy elf was purring.

Anders turned to stare, and leaned closer.

Fernis was slumped against the wall, his chin tucked against his chest and his eyes closed, the barest ghost of a smile on his face. And he was definitely purring. The gentle rumble distinctly audible, now he was paying attention to it.

Anders knew that elves could purr, of course, but he'd never heard it before. They normally only did it when they felt completely content and safe. He'd certainly never expected to hear it from Fenris.

Isabela kicked him under the table to get his attention. "You going to draw on his face or something?" She asked.

"No," Anders hissed, waving at her to lower her voice. "Shh! He's _purring_."

That got the attention of their other friends as well. "He... what?" she said.

"Fenris," Anders said quietly, still looking at him. "He's purring."

"Oh!" Merrill said, clasping her hands together with joy. "How lovely."

Varric was frowning. "I hate to break it to you, Blondie, but he's not a cat."

Anders rolled his eyes. "I _know_ , but elves do it too. When they feel safe and happy."

Merrill nodded. "We do. It's not something we tend to do much around humans, because, well, you know... But Fenris must really like us after all. That's so nice!"

"Or he's just really drunk," Hawke said, putting his hand on Fenris's shoulder and giving him a gentle shake.

"Mmm?" his eyes didn't open, but the small noise combined with the purring in a way that almost sounded like a chirrup.

Anders' heart skipped a beat. It was a noise he loved to hear from cats, and he hadn't heard it in so long. He was reminded powerfully of Pounce, and had to suppress a moment's sadness.

"Leave him alone, Hawke," he said.

"What, so everyone can stare at him and make cooing noises?" Hawke said. "You know he wouldn't like that." He gently squeezed Fenris's shoulder again. "Wake up, Fenris, you're purring."

"Mmmm?" Fenris said again, but this time he opened his eyes. Blinking, he took in the fact that everyone was looking at him; the purring faltered and stopped. "What?"

"You're drunk and you fell asleep," Anders said. "I think maybe it's time you headed home."

"I..." he took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Maybe. It was a long day."

"You killed a lot of slavers," Isabela said, with a knowing smirk. "That must have made you... happy."

"I... suppose?" Fenris said, a little blearily.

Anders rolled his eyes. "Come on - Hawke, budge out of the way - I'll take him home."

"I... do not need an escort," Fenris said, though he seemed content enough to leave. In truth he did look tired. When he stood, he staggered a little.

"Yes, you do," Anders said. "You've drunk way too much and I was thinking of heading out soon anyway."

"You just want to see if he'll - ow! Hey!" Isabela jumped as someone kicked _her_ under the table.

Fenris was frowning. "If I'll what?"

"Nothing," Anders said. "Isabela's just being an idiot. Come on."

Whether it was the drink or tiredness, Fenris surprised him by complying. Anders led the elf away, ignoring the snort of the pirate behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Fenris made something of a weaving path through the streets of Lowtown and Anders found he had to keep nudging the elf to keep him moving in the right direction. Something he was a little wary of doing, given how little Fenris usually liked being touched.

"Just how much have you _had_ , Fenris?" he asked, steering the elf away from one of the darker side streets. He'd usually prefer to stick to the shadows himself, maybe cut through Darktown, but even though it was not particularly late yet, with Fenris functionally incapacitated, it was better to stick to the busier, well lit streets.

"Enough," the elf said. "I had," he hiccuped, "I had a really _very_ good red before I came out. Hawke got me... Hawke got me for my birthday."

Anders blinked. "It's your birthday?"

Fenris snorted. "How would I know that?" he said. "Hawke decided..." he hiccuped again. "Hawke decided it was my birthday. A couple of months ago. Said I should try drinking something that wasn't..." _hiccup_ , "that wasn't _his_. He was right... it... it was really nice."

"And you just decided today's the day, right?" Anders said, guiding Fenris up the stairs to Hightown. "Drink a whole bottle of wine to yourself and then come out and drink some more?"

"Why not?" Fenris said with a sigh. "It was a nice night."

"I suppose it was," Anders mused.

It had been nice to hear the elf purring, at any rate. He probably shouldn't be as fascinated by the phenomenon as he was. He didn't want to be like one of those patrons of the Rose who paid elves extra if they pretended to be cats. But at the same time... he had _missed_ purring. It was an incredibly soothing noise. And the idea that Fenris, who usually had nothing but vitriol for him, had felt sufficiently at ease to start purring right next to him... Well. It was nice, wasn't it? A pleasant surprise.

They made their way thankfully unmolested through Hightown, earning nothing more than a glare from passing guards, disapproving of the drunken elf and the shabby human shepherding him. When he stopped in front of Fenris's mansion, he was surprised to find the elf leaning against him, his eyes closed. _Maker_ , was he falling asleep on his feet?

A gentle rumble began vibrating close to his ear.

Fenris was purring again. He hardly dared move.

"Fenris," he said quietly. "I need your keys."

"Don't have any," Fenris huffed into his shoulder.

Gently, he pushed the elf away from him, holding on to his shoulders to keep him upright. "What do you mean you don't have any?"

Fenris shrugged, his eyes still closed. "We broke in. The lock's... broken."

"Three years ago," Anders said. "Three years ago we broke in. Do you mean to tell me you've lived here all that time and never even locked the door?"

Fenris frowned, the soothing noise petering out. "Doesn't matter," he said, and pushed past Anders to open the door, nearly tripping over his own feet as it swung open.

"OK, I've got you," Anders said, taking the elf by his pauldrons to keep him steady.

"Mmm!" Fenris grunted, but otherwise didn't resist.

Anders guided him through the house, and with a little difficulty up the stairs to the room where Fenris made his home. Once there, Fenris stumbled directly to the bed, falling face down to the mattress.

"Fenris, you need to take off your armour."

"Mmm-mm," Fenris murmured in disagreement.

Stripping the elf without his consent, even if only of his outer layers, seemed unwise. It seemed as good a place as any to call it a day.

"OK, you're the one who'll suffer for it in the morning."

"Mmm," The elf grunted.

Anders lingered in the doorway for a moment, half hoping to hear that rare rumble of contentment again, but none was forthcoming.

"Sleep well, Fenris," he said, quietly, then slipped away through the dark and musty mansion.

As he made his way home through the shadows of Kirkwall, Anders idly wondered if there was anything he could do to persuade the elf to purr again.


End file.
